Alkylaromatic compounds will find a wide variety of uses in the chemical field. For example, toluene is used as a blending stock for aviation gasoline and a high octane gasoline, as a solvent, as an intermediate in medicines, dyes, perfumes, explosives, etc. Ethylbenzene is used in flavoring extracts, perfumes, in solvent mixtures, lacquers, as a solvent for cellulose derivatives as well as natural and synthetic resins and as an intermediate for the preparation of styrene. In like manner, n-butylbenzene is used in organic synthesis while relatively long chain alkylbenzenes such as dodecylbenzene, tridecylbenzene, tetradecylbenzene, pentadecylbenzene, if in essentially linear form and with a minimum amount of branching being present, are used as detergent alkylates which may be sulfonated and neutralized. The linear detergent alkylates are especially preferred due to the biodegradability of the molecule when used in detergents, thus eliminating the unwanted presence or build-up of unsightly and potentially hazardous foams in water which may be a source for drinking, cooking, etc.
The alkylation of aromatic compounds utilizing olefins or haloalkyl radicals as alkylating agents is known in the art. The alkylation with these alkylating agents is effected in the presence of catalysts of the Friedel Crafts type such as aluminum chloride, zirconium chloride, iron chloride, etc., or using other acid-acting catalysts such as boron trifluoride, sulfuric acid, etc.
As will hereinafter be shown in greater detail, it has now been discovered that aromatic compounds may be alkylated utilizing a relatively inexpensive paraffinic hydrocarbon of the type hereinafter set forth in greater detail as an alkylating agent.